


A Favor

by gayunclejake



Category: The Sisters Grimm - Michael Buckley
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:14:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28370700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gayunclejake/pseuds/gayunclejake
Summary: Jake helps Charming with a flat tire, and Charming feels like he has to make it up to Jake, so he buys Jake a coffee.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 4





	1. on the side of the road

At this moment, Charming would have bet all of his fortune that he had the worst luck of anyone in Ferryport Landing. He hated driving his personal vehicle already, but after today, after he'd had a blow out he wasn't sure he'd be behind the wheel again. It wasn't even his fault, sure he'd jumped a curb but it was a _tiny_ curb, and anyway a tire that costs three hundred dollars should be able to drive over nails and glass. He was on the side of Main Street headed towards downtown, but he was still at least a mile away and it would be a cold day in hell when he walked a mile in his black leather John Lobbs.  


He shivered, leaned on the hood of the car with a huff and pulled his phone out of his pocket. It was a school day, so he couldn't call Snow. So, now he would call… uh…  


Charming pulled out his phone and scrolled through the contacts. He could call, um… 

His thoughts were interrupted by a very familiar rumble. He turned around, just his luck, spotted the Grimms’ old jalopy puttering down the street. He put his hands over his eyes. _Please don't pull over, _he thought. _I'll call triple A. Don't worry about me.___

__It puttered past and for a moment, he thought he would be left alone, but he heard the sound of the little tires of the little car veering off to the dirt on the side of the road. The sound of the roaring jet engine of the jalopy died, and was replaced by footsteps. And then a voice.  
__

"Aw. Got a flat tire?"  


It wasn't a very familiar voice but he recognized it. He lifted his head and locked eyes with the newest addition to the Grimm house- that blonde man. What was his name again?  


“Everything okay?” Jake asked after a moment of awkward silence. _Oh dear,_ Charming thought, _I have to respond, don’t I…?_  


“Yes,” he said blankly. Jake frowned.  


“Flat tire?”  


“Yes.”  


“Uh… do you have a spare?” Jake asked.  


Charming looked confused and this time, with a little more hesitation than before, he said, “Yes.”  


“Allow me,” Jake said, gesturing to the tire. A little more confused, Charming nodded and watched Jake wander back to the jalopy, and then wander back with a few heavy-looking tools which Charming didn’t recognize. While Jake got on his knees and started to change the tire, Charming only wondered why. He didn’t like people doing favors for him, because then he felt he owed them something. Except Snow, because of course being in his presence for so many hours a day was a joy in and of itself, so he didn’t mind asking her for things. But he didn’t really know Jake. He considered himself an honorable man and an honest man, so he decided he would offer Jake twenty dollars from his own pocket and then they would be even, right?  


William Charming’s brain moved so slowly that by the time he had finished this one thought, he realized Jake had finished changing the tire and was using the car jack to set the car back on the ground. He also realized that Jake had been talking to him the whole time.  


“...and, anyway, that’s how I taught a gorilla how to change a tire for me after my fingers were broken when I was stranded in the Congo Basin,” he finished.  


“Oh… sure,” Charming said. “Um, how exciting.”  


Jake turned and looked at Charming. It seemed like he knew that the other man hadn’t heard a word that he said, but he didn’t seem to mind. “Well, I’ll get out of your hair and you can be on your way,” he said.  


“Wait,” Charming said, pulling out his wallet and taking a few steps forward. “Um… let me pay you for this. For your help,” he said. “Is this-”  


“Hey, don’t sweat it,” Jake interrupted. “I just... saw you on my way to grab a coffee, and stopped to help, no biggie.”  


“N… no, take it, please,” Charming said. “You helped me out, so…”  


Jake waved his hand dismissively. “I’m happy to help,” he said, “Don’t sweat it. Really.”  


Charming was happy being rich and handsome. But one thing that came with his lifestyle was people always expected something from him. Someone brushing off his attempts to pay them back was odd and unfamiliar. “Well, a… at least let me buy your coffee for you,” Charming offered, remembering that Jake had mentioned that.  


Jake seemed to think it over for a moment. “Sure,” he said, “I can meet you at Briar’s. Then you can take your tire to the Wondermart down the street, I’m sure they can fix it or get you a new one.”  


Charming nodded. “Yeah. Yeah. I’ll meet you there.” 


	2. The Coffee Shop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jake and Charming meet at the coffee shop.

Charming made it to Sacred Grounds coffee shop and found that Jake had already arrived, which was reasonable because he had been driving very cautiously- about 5mph under the speed limit, even. He found that Jake was sitting at the bar chatting idly with Briar, so he made his way there. 

Jake spotted Charming and smiled. “Hey,” he greeted, “Briar said you get the rose-hip tea, so I ordered you one of those.”

Charming hadn’t planned to stay, but… it was cold outside, and a hot drink sounded nice. He sat down. “Thanks,” he said, a little awkward. Jake nodded, and then for a moment, it was quiet between them. 

At last, Jake spoke again. “It’s… odd, y’know… I remember you, I remember everybody. I grew up here, but no one remembers me. I’m like a ghost.” 

Charming contemplated for a moment. A chance to start over… he wouldn’t mind it so much, but he didn’t have to worry about running out of time. “Hm…” he hummed thoughtfully, “Yeah, I… imagine so.” Jake shrugged. 

“Well, I’m here now,” he said. Briar had set their drinks on the counter- Charming’s tea and a Mallobarb coffee for Jake. Charming thought that was a fitting choice, he didn’t know Jake very well but if he looked at the menu he would’ve guessed the blonde man would’ve ordered the coffee with cocoa and marshmallows. 

“Do you have a sweet tooth?” Charming asked, his tone half judgmental and half curious. 

Jake laughed. “Yeah, yeah. How could you tell?” he asked sarcastically. “I would’ve gotten the ice cream if it wasn’t so cold out.”

Charming huffed. “A very Grimm thing to do,” he said. “You’re like your father.” 

Jake was silent, and for a moment Charming worried that he would offend Jake but Jake smiled a small but genuine smile. “Yeah…” he said, sounding distracted. Charming was relieved, and turned to sip his drink.

“Well… I should get going,” he said.

“Yeah, me too,” Jake said, standing up. 

“I’ll just… pay the bill,” Charming said, reaching again for his wallet. 

“Oh, don’t sweat it, I already paid for the drinks,” Jake said. Charming fell silent. 

“...what?” 

“Maybe we can go out for brunch tomorrow,” Jake laughed, before he turned and headed out the door. Charming stood and stared at the door before he stuffed his wallet back into his pocket and made his way to his car.

**Author's Note:**

> For the holiday exchange on Tumblr! :) I made this for user @iizninja. It was fun to write!


End file.
